Apple iPhone 16 vs iQOO 15
iQOO 15 wins 4 of 5. Buy iQOO 15 if you want better photos, longer battery life, more speed for games and to spend less.
The short answer
- CameraiQOO 15. Takes the better photos: camera score 7 out of 10, against 6.
- BatteryiQOO 15. Lasts longer on a charge: battery score 9 out of 10, against 6. It has a 7000 mAh battery.
- SpeediQOO 15. Faster for games and heavy apps: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, speed score 10 out of 10, against 8.
- UpdatesIt's a tie
- PriceiQOO 15. Costs 4% less.
Overall, iQOO 15 wins 4 of 5. The full details are below.
Side by side
| Spec | Apple iPhone 16 | iQOO 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹89,900 | ₹85,999 |
| Launched | 9 September 2024 | 26 November 2025 |
| Software now | iOS 27.0.1, launched with iOS 18 | OriginOS 6 (Android 16) (same as launch) |
| Rating | 7.6/10 | 8.8/10 |
| Battery | Lasts a full day for most people (about 15 hours 42 minutes in GSMArena's test), but wired charging is slow. | Excellent battery life from 7000mAh, with 100W wired and 40W wireless charging. |
| Camera | Reliable 48MP main and 12MP wide-angle cameras with great video; no zoom lens. | Strong main and 3x zoom cameras; the wide-angle and selfie cameras are less sharp. |
| Speed | The A18 chip is still fast and smooth for everything. | Top Snapdragon chip with big cooling, though long-session performance dipped versus last year. |
| Catch | Only a 60Hz screen, 128GB base storage, and after Apple's ₹20,000 price rise the newer iPhone 17 costs only ₹10,000 more. | Speakers are underwhelming, and the India price has risen well above launch. |
| Updates | 5 years | 5 years |
Full specifications (tap to open)
Every spec side by side
| Spec | Apple iPhone 16 | iQOO 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED (1179 x 2556), 60Hz, 2000 nits peak, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Ceramic Shield | 6.85-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED, 144Hz, 2600 nits HBM, 6000 nits peak, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ |
| Chipset | Apple A18 (3nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm) |
| CPU | 6-core: 2x performance @ 4.04GHz + 4x efficiency @ 2.20GHz | 2x Oryon V3 Phoenix L @ 4.6GHz + 6x Oryon V3 Phoenix M @ 3.62GHz |
| Graphics (GPU) | Apple 5-core GPU | Adreno 840 |
| AI chip (NPU) | 16-core Neural Engine (TOPS not officially stated) | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (TOPS not officially stated) |
| RAM and storage | 8GB RAM, 128GB (NVMe storage; RAM type not officially stated) | 12GB RAM, 256GB (UFS 4.1) |
| Battery | 3561 mAh | 7000 mAh |
| Charging | Wired USB-C PD (50% in 30 min), 25W MagSafe/Qi2 wireless, 4.5W reverse wired | 100W wired (PPS, PD), 40W wireless, bypass charging |
| Cameras | 48MP Fusion main (f/1.6, 1/1.56", sensor-shift OIS) + 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2, 120 degrees, PDAF); 12MP front (f/1.9, PDAF) | 50 MP main (1/1.56", f/1.9, 24mm, OIS) + 50 MP periscope telephoto (1/1.95", f/2.6, 85mm, 3x optical, OIS) + 50 MP ultrawide (1/2.76", f/2.1, 15mm, AF); 32 MP selfie |
| Water and dust | IP68 (6m for 30 mins) | IP68/IP69 |
| Size and weight | 7.8mm thick, 170g | 8.1mm thick, 215g |
| Software | iOS 18 at launch, iOS 27.0.1 now | OriginOS 6 (Android 16) at launch, OriginOS 6 (Android 16) now |
| Updates | 5 years promised | 5 years promised |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, USB-C 2.0 with DisplayPort, satellite SOS | Wi-Fi 7 (dual-band), Bluetooth 6.0 (aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LHDC 5), NFC, IR blaster, USB-C 3.2 |
| Modem | Qualcomm 5G modem (model not officially stated) | Integrated Snapdragon 5G modem (model not officially stated) |
| Speakers and haptics | Stereo speakers (rated Very good by GSMArena, -25.5 LUFS); haptics not detailed | Stereo speakers (GSMArena calls them underwhelming), Snapdragon Sound, Hi-Res audio; Monster Halo rear lighting; haptics not detailed |
| Screen flicker (PWM) | Not officially stated | PWM dimming (rate not officially stated); touch sampling not officially stated |
| Cooling | Not officially stated | 8K vapour chamber with 8,000 sq mm heat dissipation area |
| Colours | Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine | Legend, Alpha Black |
Where to buy
- Apple iPhone 16₹89,900
- iQOO 15₹85,999
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Waiting for a better price?See it here next time you open Tuvvo if any of these phones drops in price.
Common questions
- Which is better, Apple iPhone 16 or iQOO 15?
- iQOO 15 wins 4 of 5 areas (camera, battery, speed, updates and price). Buy iQOO 15 if you want better photos, longer battery life, more speed for games and to spend less.
- Which has the better camera?
- iQOO 15 takes the better photos.
- Which has the better battery life?
- iQOO 15 lasts longer on a charge.
- Which is faster for gaming?
- iQOO 15 is faster for games and heavy apps.
- How much do they cost?
- Apple iPhone 16 costs ₹89,900, iQOO 15 costs ₹85,999.
- Which gets software updates for longer?
- Apple iPhone 16: 5 years, now on iOS 27.0.1. iQOO 15: 5 years, now on OriginOS 6 (Android 16).